The Developer Platform: The big talk surrounding Facebook lately has been the introduction of their developer platform. Facebook has given developers some powerful tools to write applications that can be used within the site. While the inclusion of these third party applications takes away from my first point, simplicity, it more than makes up for it in increased functionality.
Developers are just beginning to scratch the surface of what they can do. We are already seeing a few cool applications like Graffiti, which lets visitors to your profile draw you a picture. I think that, given some more time, we will start to see some really killer applications that greatly improve the overall experience on Facebook. All of these factors put together make for a very appealing social networking experience that keeps users coming back.
I expect that we will continue to see a tremendous amount of growth for Facebook in the coming months. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion.
Then came the news that Facebook was hiring 10, people in Europe to work on building the metaverse. Then, finally, word came last week that Facebook would rebrand itself with a moniker that reflects its newfangled metaverse aspirations. That name, we now know, is Meta. Rarely has such a successful company so vigorously tried to sell a vision for a product—or more specifically, a framework for future products—that is so abstract and wanting, so flimsy.
And neither is it clear who would want to spend their time there. Which is exactly why this half-real, Big Tech—led effort to erect the metaverse is worth both laughing down and taking seriously. There are at least three driving forces motivating Facebook and Co. The first reason is all about perception —these blue-sky big swings are coming at a time when Facebook sees its already-battered reputation being trampled by a parade of whistleblowers , damning reports , congressional hearings , and, now, the Facebook Papers.
From the Facebook Papers alone, the company stands accused of burying data gathered by its own researchers showing that its products are harmful to users , failing to stop groups that promote violence and sex trafficking , and watching the January 6 insurrection take shape on its platform.
So it should come as no surprise that Facebook would be eager to shift attention away from its scandal-plagued social-media business and onto something flashier, grander, more inspiring. This feels more like a reactionary decision, one guided by public-relations needs. There always will be. Philip Morris, most famous for producing Marlboro cigarettes, rebranded as Altria in , after it became abundantly clear that its product is extremely proficient in killing its users.
It never seriously did. But I do think that underneath it all, Zuck means it. Zuckerberg has talked about how he was inspired by the science fiction of the metaverse when he was younger, and he clearly loves the novel Ready Player One ; new recruits to his Oculus division were handed copies of the book upon hiring. Facebook didn't waste any time moving to mobile. When numbers started suggesting a few years ago that people were using their smartphones and tablets more and more to access Facebook, the social network didn't skip a beat.
Facebook has acquired tens of companies. The key double though, are WhatsApp and Instagram. You can't talk about Facebook's success without talking about its users, and they're worldwide. Facebook has around 2. Not only are they spread out across the globe, but they also range in age and sex.
Facebook tries to eliminate anonymity on the web, which in turns makes it appear safe and more inviting to people from around the world. Former Facebook President Sean Parker once explained how Facebook began with colleges and forced college users to authenticate their email addresses. This limitation actually implemented a one person, one identity token practice that Facebook has roughly stuck with, though it now allows any user with a verified email to join.
It made it easier for Facebook users to take their online identity with them across the web, according to Zuckerberg. It also enabled them to share what they do online with their friends and stay updated on what friends doing, without having to create separate accounts for every website or app. They could simply use their Facebook login wherever Facebook Connect was available. A small idea like Facebook Connect is an ideal example of how Facebook just gets it right.
It also suggests that Facebook is forward-thinking. Because let's be real: a company with a vision for the future has a better chance of succeeding than one that doesn't hello, again, Myspace. When Facebook went public, many people thought it was absurd. Others however realised Facebook was cementing its place in history. Facebook didn't want to become a fad site; it wanted to be around in another century or two. To accomplish such a fantastical dream, Facebook had to make a switch to probability beyond advertising.
To be honest, Facebook is also more powerful as a public company. Facebook's cash pile ballooned quite a bit after the IPO, giving it the resources to battle giants of the internet like Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, all of which have heaping mounds of cash. It's been shown that the huge majoriyty of users 95 percent retain information much more easily in a video compared to around 10 percent of users who retain it if it's written in text.
While YouTube was obviously at the forefront of the online video revolution, the growth of video on Facebook has been exponential over the last few years. According to Tublar Insights , over million people watch video on Facebook every day, while the reach of a Facebook video hugely outweighs a photo.
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